Among the Stars
by Wishstar
Summary: High school was already hard enough for Kaoru before her foster parents switched her to the famous prodigy school... and to make matters worse, Kaoru meets the prince of the school, Kenshin! KK. Rated PG13 for language.
1. Arriving at SOTATOH

Disclaimer: I don't own rurouni kenshin! I love him and everything in it but I don't own it no matter how hard I wish!

Author's Note: you can also skip the first chapter if it gets too boring but you hafta read the rest of it! I promise it won't be horrible!

Among the Stars

"Mom, you know I don't like going to the doctor's…"

"Shush, honey…" when her eyes darted to something behind her, Kaoru couldn't resist to looking and see what was so interesting.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!"

* * *

  


Kaoru winced as she nudged the area where they had taken her blood sample. Raven hair cascaded down her back and midnight blue eyes hid behind her bangs. She rubbed her arm again, as if hoping to wipe away the tiny, little red dot.

'Those doctors are… so obsessive! Grr, I hate needles!!' she brooded. She kicked her legs in the air like a child, impatient, and waiting for the doctors' return. That was the second time they had taken her blood, saying that the first one had been contaminated.

Finally, to her relief, the doctors came back and told her she could meet with her parents again. Kaoru had zero idea why she was at the hospital, her mother had simply told her to be ready for a surprise.

She frowned before getting up and joining with her parents. Their surprises were always really stupid, no offense to them. They had good intentions… really they did! But they just didn't know her at _all_. She put the thoughts in the back of her head as the doctor cleared his throat. Her parents looked quite excited and leaned forward, looking as though they would either jump up in happiness or fall on their butts in shock.

"I'm pleased to announce that, Kamiya Kaoru, has been accepted! She will attend on Mondays through Thursdays, as agreed, and will be respectful, poised, and confident when talking to the teachers. Alright? Good! I will send some forms out to you in the mail, have a good day!"

And with that he all but kicked them out of his office. Kaoru turned to her father with a glint in her eye. He looked away clearly pleased and nervous.

"Now, now Kaoru dear, don't get all worked up! I will explain in just a second!" he looked ready to run away except for the fact that little miss Kaoru had a firm hold on his shirt.

"Dad… WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT?! WHAT AM I ATTENDING?! SPILL IT!" from there Kaoru's mother took her hand and stated, "Honey, you will be going to school at S.O.T.A.T.O.H!! Isn't that wonderful?!"

* * *

  


"NO IT'S NOT WONDERFUL! THAT'S STUPID!" poor Kaoru yelled as she was cleanly kicked out of the car with a duffel bag and backpack.

S.O.T.A.T.O.H was one of the hardest schools to get into. Not only did you have to have the best of the best grades, but your blood had to be just right. Your blood is the key thing. Every body's is different and holds a different power. Kaoru had heard that a person could control fire or water or some kind of weird thing.

However Kaoru had no interest in this school… she just wanted to be a normal girl that had a home. Her parents had died when she was young and was taken in by the foster parents that so graciously drove off while she was still yelling. They were nice and all but… she could sense they didn't really like her. They plastered fake smiles on their faces and were always on vacations. This school was only an excuse to leave her where they knew she couldn't get into trouble. Their earlier reactions to when she was accepted to the cursed school was happiness that they could finally dump her somewhere.

Cursing her fate, Kaoru picked her stuff up off the ground and headed for the dorms.

* * *

  


After some wrong turns, she looked at the little piece of paper that would show the way to her room. Sighing, she got out her key as she approached to door. Everything was beautiful inside the S.O.T.A.T.O.H. dorms. The walls were a light tan color without a speck of dust and every few yards there was a grand chandelier with millions of tiny crystals. The floor was made of a pretty pearl marble thing (Kaoru cam up with that herself) and was so clean you could see yourself in it.

Cautiously, Kaoru opened the door and found it already occupied. A bouncy type of girl with a sparkle and long braid nearly knocked Kaoru off her feet.

"HELLO! My name is Makimachi Misao! You must be my roommate!" she was thin and lithe and seemed to quiver with excitement. She was a cute little thing with beautiful sea foam green eyes and quick speech.

Kaoru took an immediate liking to the hyper, over-active girl. She smiled and put down her things.

"My name is Kaoru! It's nice to meet you."

"Heh, heh! This must be your first year, mine too! I've been here for a week to go… um… sight seeing…" she ended her sentence with a grin and a wink.

"Huh?"

"I'll tell you later…" she said giggled happily. "I'll help you unpack!"

* * *

  


Sometime later…

"HA! It feels good to get out of those stuffy halls!" Misao said as she grinned and bounced along on the sidewalk. Kaoru followed and couldn't help but feel a bit amazed at her friend's free style of living. The wind danced and tickled her face as she walked along with her animated companion. She touched her cheek when a sprinkle of rain dropped on her and suddenly remembered.

"So what was it that you were going to tell me?"

"Ohhhh! Right! Have you ever gone sight seeing?"

"Yes… but that was really, really boring." She secretly hoped that it wouldn't be another tour led by a bum off the street, "and here's the building where I was born! Only that it was demolished ten years ago, so you have zero chance of ever seeing it! Let's move on…"

"Heehee! Well, you'll like this kind, I guaranteed it!" Misao responded breaking Kaoru's nightmarish flashback.

Considering that this was my first fic, it didn't come out completely crappy… I made it really short to see what people would think of it, but I'll go more into depth of the story line in maybe the 2nd or 3rd chapter. Next one is simply fluffiness and the girls getting to bond!

Please, please, pleaaaaaaaaaaaase leave a review! I won't know what pairings you would want if you don't leave a review! Thanks!

~Wishstar


	2. Breathe!

Yaaaay! I got 2 whole reviews- thanks evil witch person! This chapter will introduce most of the guys so it's gonna be longer than the first chapter! Onto the story!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own rurouni kenshin! =(  
  
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Among the Stars  
  
Dark clouds started to gather and the ground became lightly spotted with the start of rain. The wind whipped through her hair and she almost lost her favorite blue ribbon that she decided to wear that day. Kaoru could feel the arrival of the storm and looked over at her cheerful, no, hyper companion. She furrowed her eyebrows and tapped Misao's shoulder.  
  
"Misao? Should we turn back? The rain is starting to come down harder and I don't really want to be sick on the first day of school."  
  
"Don't worry! I'm taking us to a place that's really close by! There will be a lot of stuff to do there, ok?"  
  
"...If you say so..."  
  
The rain finally came down in buckets, drenching the two girls as they raced for shelter.  
  
"There it is! Let's go!"  
  
Misao pointed at a small building that was connected to the other stores. It was hard to make out, but as they drew closer, Kaoru could see the cream color and dark green shades of a cafe.  
  
'At this point, anything without rain would be good!'  
  
Misao burst into the tiny shop, beating Kaoru by mere inches. Warmth spread over Kaoru's skin and she inhaled the scent of fresh coffee and cream. She smiled and took a look around the small shop. Pleasant and homely mixtures of greens and browns decorated the inside creating a very down to earth feel, incredibly different from the dorms. She sighed and looked down at her drenched clothes. This would be difficult to relax in...  
  
"Misao...?" Kaoru said holding up an end of her limp and dripping clothes.  
  
The little weasel stared for a second and then looked down at herself. Drips of rainwater slid off of her hair and her braid hung, clinging to her arm and back. Her sweatshirt and jeans hugged her figure, giving her stares from guys and mutters from girls. She blinked.  
  
"Oh well!"  
  
Kaoru dropped her jaw and hit her on the head.  
  
"Don't be vulgar you little perverted child!"  
  
"I wasn't being vulgar!! She grinned her little weasel grin. "And I'm not a pervert! If anything, I'm just trying to improve our chances!"  
  
"Of what?"  
  
"Of our sight seeing! Crap, you hit hard..." she nodded in the direction towards the coffee counter.  
  
Kaoru shifted and glanced at what she was pointing at. She got her first good look at the room, but that wasn't what was so important.  
  
He was cute. But then again, they were all cute. One of them was leaning on the counter picking up their tray of coffee, his eyes concentrating on his friends. He had long amber hair and laughing amethyst eyes, his face well carved and body strongly yet lightly built. Kaoru's gaze lingered on the fiery haired man... damn he was cute... He was talking with a tall, stony sort of guy with black hair and dark blue eyes. (just wondering, but does he have blue? some people say he has gray...) The stone man only nodded or muttered a couple of words. Nonetheless he was as handsome as the first. A few feet away was a guy with spiky, brown hair and a cocky smile that seemed to be fitting for him. He was lounging on a sofa grinning and facing a man with long black hair that came to his shoulders held back by a green band that stretched over his forehead.  
  
Kaoru paused... He had a sort of maniacal look on his face that came and went... maybe she was just imaging...  
  
There was another one that was retrieving his cup of coffee. Shocking white hair and turquoise eyes complimented each other, while his body... Kaoru raised her delicate eyebrows. She had to tell herself to breathe, as she seemed to be losing air. Moving on... a much shorter guy that looked almost like a cute boy kept a smile on his face and looked like he was born with it plastered on. Kaoru took a good look at them before she started towards the counter. Just being near these people was making Kaoru dizzy.  
  
A kindly looking woman in her early-twenties greeted her with a warm smile. Kaoru looked at her name tag that read...  
  
"Um... Tae-san? I'd like a medium vanilla mocha and she..." she looked at the glowing Misao, "would like a...?"  
  
"Malt fudge, medium!" (yuuuum that stuff is good...)  
  
"Coming up! It'll take a minute or two."  
  
"Um, may I know where the restrooms are? I need to dry off." Kaoru said motioning to her sopping wet clothes.  
  
"Off to your right, behind the curtains." Tae said with a smile.  
  
'That's a nice lady.' Kaoru thought. She preceded to look behind the curtains by the counter and followed a hallway to the restrooms.  
  
When she got back she found Misao picking up their tray of coffee and paying Tae. She walked over to the table the little weasel picked and lifted up her cup.  
  
The coffee shop wasn't really crowded and looked almost brand new, now that Kaoru got another look around. It was really nice though.  
  
"Hey, Misao... when did you find this place?"  
  
"Not long ago, this place just opened up and Tae-san asked me to spread the word and stuff. We're friends from my old school! She's nice isn't she? I told a lot of people about her shop and they said they would meet me here on Sunday! Want to come?"  
  
"Sure!" Kaoru said. She looked at the group of boys talking to each other with a lingering gaze, and sighed. Her black bangs covered her eyes and she tried to hide her blush that was starting to take over her light skin.  
  
"Misao... do you know them?"  
  
"I wish! I think they found about this place by themselves. The rooster head looks like he knows Tae-san..."  
  
Kaoru took another glance at the red head while Misao started to drool over the "tall, dark and handsome" guy. If only... if... only... and Kaoru started to stare, forgetting everybody else in the coffee shop.  
  
That's when his friend nodded and pointed at the dreaming Kaoru. The red haired man turned and revealed stunning amber eyes and a piercing stare. His hair brushed over his shoulder and started to walk over to the dazed girl with a knowing smirk.  
  
Misao quirked an eyebrow and waited to see what Kaoru would do. Her braid danced with excitement against her back and she eagerly waited as the amber eyes came closer.  
  
Kaoru parted her bangs to see clearly again and was startled by the pair of eyes that stared back, never shifting. She then tried to remember her early advice. 'Breathe!!' Her light blue eyes didn't move from his. 'Breathe!' Please!! Just move! 'BREATHE DAMMIT!!' And she finally was able to break the eye contact. 'I want to kill myself.' He just smirked his eyes still not leaving her lovely face.  
  
She had a fresh, pretty look... like an angel. Her ivory skin glowed from the soft lights and her hair swished that made a 'wsh wsh' sound. She was slim and looked as if he touched her she would break. But her face revealed that she had a stubborn streak and a little bit of shyness. I quick glance could tell him all he needed to know about her.  
  
Kaoru felt him get closer, and blushed. They were only a foot away from each other and she shut her eyes tight hoping he would move a little away from her. She could feel his steady breathing as he moved his head closer. 'I've never been in this kind of situation before!' she thought panicking. A sudden thought struck her. 'What if he kisses me?! Grr! I'd kill him if he did!' and she let her mind wander a bit. 'If he even touches me...!'  
  
"Hi."  
  
And she threw a punch at his face.  
  
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YAAAAAY!! So there's chapter 2! Kaoru's hyperventilating right now! I thought that would be a fun to have at the end of the chapter ^_______^ I really hope you like it! Flames are ok I don't really care, just REVIEW!! PLEASE!! I REALLY REALLY REALLY NEED REVIEWS!! Thank you!  
  
~Wishstar 


	3. Worrying

I know it took a long time to update, but I had so much homework from school! I had a project due every day this week and last week so I didn't get much sleep or time to write... sorry, sorry, you can read this chapter as an apology and PLEASE, PLEASE review!! For now, I'm going to sleep and wallow in my self-pity ^_^  
  
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Among the Stars  
Chapter 3  
  
Misao blinked. Did she just see what she thought she saw?? Misao wailed in her head, she had been hoping if Kaoru got hooked up with this red-hair, then she could get a connection with the ice man.  
  
Kaoru was the only one shocked though. The red haired guy had her fist cupped tightly in front of his face. 'What the hell?! He... he caught...!! That's... that...I...' He moved her hand aside and raised his eyebrows. She blushed crimson and verbally beat herself up.  
  
To be truthful, Kaoru had never had a guy talk to her before. She went to an all girls' school and was never really interested in guys. Kaoru is one of those girls that cared only about friends and grades- so basically she had no social skills when it came to boys. None. Zip.  
  
While Kaoru was going through her mental abuse, a pleasant sound interrupted her thoughts. It was warm and welcoming, understanding and kind. Kaoru looked up. He was... laughing... It was a short and polite, but she wanted to hear it again. 'His laugh was like the sun...' She then took the liberty to realize that he was still holding her hand and she withdrew it quickly, leaving him with a small smile on his face.  
  
Poor Kaoru squeezed her eyes shut, wishing that her situation was going to fix itself.  
  
"Hi, my name's Kenshin."  
  
Nothing but silence. Kaoru was too frustrated and confused to make heads or tails out of her situation. 'Does he like me? I mean we just met, but... eh, who cares? I do, so that was kinda stupid to ask... I hope I look okay... Wait!! Why do I care what I look like? I just met him! I can't like him already! He can't like me! Unless he's trying to just be nice... Yea... That sounds the best!' As Kaoru found her pretty obvious solution, she shakily held out her hand and said...  
  
"H-hi... my name's K-kaoru..."she said and sighed with relief as if she had just completed the test of her life.  
  
"Nice to meet you. Are you new here? You look new."  
'Damn. Do I really look like a newbie?' she thought.  
  
"Um... yeah... I moved here for school..."  
  
"You mean S.O.T.O.?"  
  
"Y-yea! How'd you know?"  
  
"That's the only school in the area. I go there myself. What level are you in?"  
  
Kaoru blushed. It was true she didn't know that much about the neighborhood, but it was worse she knew absolutely nothing about her school.  
  
"I- uh... I just started... so I think I'm in.... level one? She said a bit pathetically. (well she is in level one...)  
  
"Oh that's right. You don't get the lecture until the first week is over. You won't know that much about the school until the speech. Well, if you really want to know, then you can just come to me, okay?"  
  
"Sure..." She replied.  
  
He scanned over her with his eyes (tch! Kenshin's so dirty!) and his smirk can back to his lips.  
  
Kaoru was startled for a second. That was strange... '... didn't he have...?'  
  
"I'll see you later then."  
  
And the raven haired girl gaped at him as he left the coffee shop with his friends. Misao ran over to her and started to speak enthusiastically. But the only thing on Kaoru's mind was, 'His eyes... they weren't they purple earlier...?'  
  
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Back at the dorms...  
  
"KAORU!! You hafta tell me what the hell you were thinking!! I mean, even though one of the hottest guys in the century hit on you, you still punched him! Or tried to punch him... anyways, you might've lessened my chances with that other tall cute guy! Wait... I'm confusing myself..."  
  
Now that Kaoru was away from Kenshin, she could think clearly and shook her head. She was practicing her kendo, and swung her sword in wisks making silvery arcs. (I'm not going to have Kaoru use a wooden sword because I think that kind of handicaps her abilities. I hope nobody kills me for this!)  
"I don't know what happened, Misao! I've never had to deal with guys before. I'm confused..."  
  
"Yea... me too... How come he likes you? You tried to punch him! I mean he caught it, but still... I wonder what would happen if I did that..." Miaso said, going off into her own land that had a certain someone. (^_~)  
  
Kaoru narrowed her midnight blue eyes. That's right... he had caught her punch... No one has ever been able to block her attacks before. No one. As soon as she had gotten back to her dorm, she pulled out her sword and practiced her stances, trying to refine her attacks.  
  
"You're right... Why does he even bother? I'm still a level one!" she said curving the blade in the air faster and in more elaborate designs. 'I should have been able to follow through with my attack! How did he stop it? I was so close it shouldn't have been blocked!'  
  
Misao stopped dreaming and laughed.  
  
"It seems S.O.T.O's new student can't except being beaten!"  
  
Kaoru glared and challenged her to repeat herself. She was always listed in the top thirty of her last school whether it had to do with grades or sports.  
  
"No, seriously, Kaoru, you should start practicing losing because, if you remember, this is the school of prodigies. There are students that come from other countries to get into it. And some of the smartest people are turned away."  
  
Kaoru turned away and dropped onto one foot. She held her blade behind her back and twisted. A flash was thrown through the air and sent straight past Misao's shoulder.  
  
"...Kaoru...?" said a wide eyed weasel as she turned around and saw the sword in the wall. It flickered and disappeared. Misao reached behind her back.  
  
"Kamiya Kasshin style, Vanishing Water." (eh... I just made it up cause Mr. Watsuki didn't name very many of her attacks. Sorry! Pity meeeee...)  
  
"Heh... I would have never guessed." Misao uncovered her hand and displayed a range of sharp pointy things. She crouched and dipped into a stance.  
  
"Acupuncture needles. Kunai. Suntetsu." Kaoru looked at Misao and smiled.  
  
"Heehee. Neither would I."  
  
"You know, now that I know you're into weapons and studying martial arts, I think I like you more!"  
  
"Thanks," Kaoru said with her wispy smile.  
  
They both retreated out of their stances and started to clear up their stuff.  
  
"Kaoru... I think I should warn you about this school. It's extremely difficult and you'll have to work hard since there are some extra classes that may take some... constant vigilance."  
  
"...what?"  
  
"I was here last year but I came in at the last quarter so I wasn't allowed to enter the school even though I passed their test."  
  
"So you know pretty much everything there is about the school, right?"  
  
"Yep. I snuck into some of their classes and the stuff they do is really weird.""  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"They sit around for like and hour and when the professor calls them up they just stand there."  
  
"..."  
  
"Kaoru? Did I scare you?" Misao laughed.  
  
"I'm... hungry..."  
  
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Misao and Kaoru decided on a ramen stand for lunch. Kaoru got a table and already had paid for her ramen with her friend waiting for hers at the counter.  
  
It was true that Kaoru was hungry but Misao scared her. What if she didn't have what it takes to get through this school? Kaoru silently ate her bowl of ramen. She felt really tired. It was either the excitement of the day or the exercises she was working on earlier. 'Sigh... so sleepy... I wonder when Misao's gonna get her food... it's taking so long...'  
  
She felt her eyelids dropping when she felt something warm. 'What?' She looked down and saw Kenshin giving her a cute smile. 'Kenshin? When did he get here?'  
  
Kenshin was another thing that was worrying her. He looked pretty tough, not to mention smart, and she felt a little inferior. 'How am I going to match up with that when I'm in school?' Oh well... Kaoru decided to try to get his ear.  
  
"Mr. Kenshin? Hello? Are you listening to me?"  
  
She looked down to find the source of the warmth and turned a bright shade of red. He was paying attention to her after all, but to the wrong part of her. To be precise, he was touching her butt.  
  
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=^_^= I don't really have much to say about it, except that I'm not really pleased with it... Other authors make writing look so easy! I need to work on my style more... it went too slow, so next chapter will have some better parts in it! Thanks for reading and please, PLEASE review!  
  
~Wishstar 


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